Leadership definition can be plainly described as someone who

has the capacity to influence or motivate others to achieve a

common goal. Although, a cookie-cutter definition of leadership
definition has been evolving from the beginning of the 20th
century. During the early decades of 20th century the term
resonated more control and centralization of leader power.
During the middle of the century it emphasized mostly on
influencing groups and involving persuasion to motivate
employees to share their goals. By the end of the century and
guides other to achieve the common goal. In the article that I
will evaluate below will particularly focus on leadership during
extreme events and such extreme context is defined as crisis-as-
process rather than crisis-as-events (which is a one off-event and
could be restored to normality). In both the articles to look at
how leadership and group behaviour emerged they have both
looked at the same source a fictional movie based on zombie
apocalyptic. In the movie day of the dead there are conflict and
overlap among who will become leader in extreme context and
there is no tidy and cohesive pattern rather there is shifting
pattern among the groups for becoming leader. In comparison
with the movie The Walking dead I find that leadership tends to
move to one particular type autocratic style. Moreover,
leadership style does not remain fixated it changes as condition
changes and in both the article I find a point of time where
group members choose single leader and would remain so until
different circumstances arise. A common characteristics of
leadership is displayed in both movies one by Rhodes and the
other by Negan. The latter is a cult like figure and his leadership
style tend to be autocratic and while the former is also
autocratic, divisive and nobody is allowed to challenge him. The
leadership style that emerges at the end is different in both
contexts at the day of the dead it is self-organizing team where
leadership are shared by common goals and in The Walking
Dead although there had been several leadership contest
ultimately leadership resorted to autocratic leaders. The article
both portrays a good understanding of group behaviour and
conflict when faced with an extreme context and particularly
help us understand good behaviour during such circumstances.
Firstly, at the movie Day of the Dead there is initial
collaboration with the other groups but as circumstances
changes intergroup conflicts becomes more visible. Secondly, in
The Walking Dead those who survive have different groups and
there is hardly any moment when there has not been any
conflict. At the intragroup level leaders are questioned for the
decision they take unilaterally and do not involve others views.
At Day of the Dead Rhodes and other military officer do not
except Bowman as leaders and they believe that as a male they
have more authority than the female scientist and thus, fight for
power erupts between the group rather than collaboration to
tackle important challenges. There are similarities in The
Walking Dead where leadership is constantly challenged by
disputing the leader’s decision and sometimes whether to allow
others to join the group. Additionally, within the groups they
may have cross purpose such as in case of scientist Bowman and
Logan pursuing different goals and at another when Rick killed
on of his core group member and disagreements over the killing
of group member has brought to the forefront his leadership
capacity. There is one noticeable difference between the two
movies is that in The Walking Dead there are intergroup fight
between the groups for competing resources available. Groups
fight became more prevalent because off mistrust between the
groups and groups contrive strategy to plunder resources from
others and in many cases resort to violence. Moreover, violence
and abandonment is another characteristic which is common in
leader like Rhodes who have depicted both of these
characteristics by placing two in zombie compound and trying to
abandon his men. Although, violence is also prevalent in The
Walking Dead where Rick and Negan have committed repeated
killing of their group members and others.
The study adopted in both of this article are quite unusual as
such a zombie apocalyptic event to occur seems implausible.
Researchers are not always prepared to study such extreme
context because it is very difficult to predict when such an event
might erupt and studying such event can hardly be achieved at
the exact moment. Studying more likely event can help us tackle
more frequent challenges and embracing under it a context
which takes into account all type of extreme event and what
measures can be undertaken. Social identity theory explained in
the article ‘‘The dark side of group behaviour’’ takes it too far
where groups are constantly intra-group and inter-group fighting
although such cases are evident when resources are scarce but in
history lesson we have learned that civilization started because
of cooperation among human being. Pre-civilized society who
were hunter gatherers and fought for resource but as people
settled down they were willing to cooperate and barter system
arrived. Sociologist sometimes point that it is not likely that
there will be intra-group and inter-group fight.

Reference:

Buchanan, D., & Hällgren, M. (2019). Surviving a Zombie

Apocalypse: Leadership Configurations in Extreme Contexts.
Management Learning, 50(2), 152-170.

Hällgren, M., & Buchanan, D. A. (2020). The dark side of group

behavior: Zombie apocalypse lessons. Academy of Management
Perspectives (Forthcoming - will be available in Cambro).